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No. 1 UA soccer remains perfect, Zips football defeats rival Flashes
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Kent State falls to Akron, 20-28
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Gameblog: Cavs at Knicks
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Weekly ‘B’ Deck Report – New Mexico St.
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Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Perfect Weather for an Autumn Drive
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RUMORS: Downtown Restaurant Explosion
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Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
The Black Keys to perform benefit concert at Musica on November 27
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
New 'Call of Duty' could set entertainment record
Published on Sunday, Jun 29, 2008
• Learn to recognize the ''triggers'' that put you in a spending situation.
If you track expenditures, you might recognize situations that are likely to induce spending. Maybe yard sales or flea markets result in unnecessary expenditures. Perhaps other items catch your eye when the mission was to buy milk. Do you eat out every Friday night? Is a coffee break often accompanied by an expensive treat?
• Learn to recognize the ''triggers'' in your surroundings that tempt you to buy.
In stores, merchandise is displayed to attract attention. Temptations can also be influenced by people, places, things or even your mood. Do you find yourself spending more money when you're shopping with a friend? Do you spend more money when you're feeling blue? Learn to control the environment so you can shop wisely.
Avoid stores that are particularly tempting to you, except when necessary. Stick to a list and don't browse.
• Never purchase expensive items on impulse.
Think over each expensive purchase for at least 24 hours. This practice will result in fewer regrets and more money in savings.
• Use an incentive plan to encourage yourself to stay on budget.
If you brown-bag your lunch for four days, treat yourself to lunch on Friday. If the family has been sticking to a budget by not spending on unnecessary items, have a night out — as long as the expenditure doesn't ruin the budget.
• Use only cash for a week.
Your spending will most likely go down when you have to take out cold, hard cash to pay for something instead of swiping the credit card.
• If you have to give something up or scale back, try to give it a fun twist.
Nancy Hudson, an Ohio State University Extension specialist in money management, said that when her husband lost his job, they had to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner. To make it fun for the kids, they ate by candlelight.
• Assess your communications costs.
As Internet and wireless use grows, many people are overpaying for unneeded communications options. For example, if you have a cell phone and two phone lines — one for your computer — consider receiving personal calls on your cell phone so you can give up one of your phone lines.
Call your current provider to see whether there are ways you can save on your services, or shop around for another provider.
• Be aware of your cell phone costs and how to reduce them.
Review your plan with your provider to see whether your usage matches your services. If you'll be using text messaging, get a plan that includes text messages instead of paying per message.
Keep tabs on your minutes. Per-minute charges for going over your monthly allotment can add up.
If there are several in the extended family with phones, consider a family share plan. Be aware, however, that you are all sharing your minutes, so set some ground rules for usage and payments.
Sources: Verizon Wireless, Ohio State University Extension, America Saves.
• Learn to recognize the ''triggers'' that put you in a spending situation.
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